King Kong vs. Godzilla
| running time = 91 min. | country = Japan | language = Japanese | budget = $12,000+ Godzilla Wiki; King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962); Infobox. | gross revenue = ¥350,000,000 (Japan) $2,725,000 (US) IMDB; King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962); Box office & business. | preceded by = Gigantis the Fire Monster | followed by = Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster King Kong Escapes }} King Kong vs. Godzilla is a Japanese sci-fi/action film and is classified as a Tokusatsu of the daikaiju ("giant monster") subgenre. It is the third film in the ''Godzilla'' film series as well as the third film to feature the American giant monster of King Kong. The movie was directed by Ishirô Honda with a script written by Shin'ichi Sekizawa. It was produced by Toho Company, Ltd. and released in Japan on August 11th, 1962. The film was repackaged for released in the United States by Universal International, with heavy editing, re-written scenes by Paul Mason and Bruce Howard and English dubbing. Plot Cast Notes * King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962) redirects to this page. * The original Japanese title for this film is Kingu Kongu tai Gojira (キングコング対ゴジラ), which directly translates as King Kong vs. Godzilla. * King Kong vs. Godzilla was released in the United States on June 26th, 1963. * Bruce Howard and Paul Mason were co-writers on the American release of the film only. * The Japanese release of the film had a running time of 1 hour and 38 minutes. The American release of the movie trimmed it by seven minutes for a total running time of 1 hour and 31 minutes. * A music score soundtrack for King Kong vs. Godzilla was released in 1993. It contained forty-three tracks with music by composer Akira Ifukube. * King Kong vs. Godzilla was released on Blu-ray in Region A/1 format with new cover art on August 1st, 2014. Amazon.com; King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962); Blu-ray * This is Ishirô Honda's thirty-third feature film as a director. It is his sixth daikaiju film and his fourth film in ''Godzilla'' film series (which includes the 1956 soft remake, Godzilla, King of the Monsters!). * This is editor Reiko Kaneko's third feature film work and his second film in the daikaiju genre. Fun Facts * Taglines for this film include, "The two mightiest monsters of all time!", "The battle of the century!", "The most colossal conflict the screen has ever known!", and "The motion picture screen beckons you to adventure that thrills the emotions with shock and terror!" All of these were used on promotional material for the American release of the film. * This is the first movie in the ''Godzilla'' film series released in color. * This is the first movie featuring King Kong that was released in full color. * The Japanese version of Kong featured in this film is clearly a different animal than the one scene in the original 1993 Merian C. Cooper film. For starters, the original ape was killed at the end of King Kong, but also, this ape hails from a different island altogether, and is significantly bigger, making him a sizable contemporary to Godzilla. * Two of the primary real-world settings for this film are Tokyo and Gunma Prefecture in Japan. * This is quite possibly the first appearance of a unique species of jungle octopus. Yes, a jungle octopus. * Rumors have floated around for years, suggesting that the Japanese version of the film and the American version had alternate endings with a different winner emerging victorious from the final battle: Godzilla in the Japanese version and Kong in the American version. In truth, the scenes are relatively unaltered with the last battle ending in an ambiguous draw. Kong emerges from the water and begins stomping back to Farro Island and lets out a mighty roar. Godzilla remains underwater, but also issues a roar of frustration. In the American version, Godzilla's roar was omitted, giving viewers the impression that Kong had succeeded in vanquishing his scaly foe. Snopes.com; King Kong vs. Godzilla Recommendations See also External Links * * * King Kong vs. Godzilla at Wikipedia * * * * * King Kong vs. Godzilla at the Godzilla Wiki References ---- Category:Films Category:1962/Films Category:August, 1962/Films Category:Sequels Category:3rd installments Category:Toho Company, Ltd. Category:Universal Pictures